The Most Beautiful Night
by Timeless Angel
Summary: Sometimes in life, you have got to give some and take some, but at the end of the day, it might turn out to be a valuable lesson. InuKag, MirSan. Oneshot.


**A/N: **I've had this idea revolving in my mind for quite a while, so I decided to pen it down. A small part of this story is also written by _greenblanket. _Somehow, I find that Vanessa Carlton's _Twilight_ seem to fit this song to a T (I simply love that song). By the way, I'm really sorry that this story is really quite long (and perhaps boring), but other than that, hope you guys would enjoy and learn to look the sky from a different perspective. Oh yes, and no prizes for guessing who the nurse is.

**Title: **The Most Beautiful Night

**Author: **-Timeless Angel-

**Status: **One-shot; Complete.

**Rating:** T for some obscenities and angst (I've been trying to keep it down ;P ).

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha.

**Summary: **Sometimes in life, you have got to give some and take some, but at the end of the day, it might turn out to be a valuable lesson. InuKag, MirSan. One-shot.

Tucking several stray sable black strands of hair carefully under a silky cloth band, she was ready to go for her rounds. She looked at her reflection in her mirror, and spotted a faint crease on her natural-tan forehead. _She was getting old……_She mused to herself.

_ How time has flew past so quickly… _

It seemed just like yesterday when she was with her best friends, fighting alongside each other, battling against the devilish monsters, helping the world to eradicate evil. It seemed just like yesterday; they had felt the pains and heart wrenching agony of losing the closest kin…

Staring at her reflection, she wondered what else has changed. Her eyes were still a deep dusky ebony, her nose as delicate as ever, and her lips, pursed and cherry-blossom red. Her body was still as svelte and hale as always (which she was evidently proud of), and she, was still the same nimble monkey. Her hair, perhaps? It had certainly lengthened significantly over the passage of time, and lightly touched the tip of her derriere. She was in fact, as ravishing as of past, perhaps with the exception of the wrinkle. She hated ageing. Ageing scarred her former beauty.

_ Well, if you can't beat it, you just got to deal with it…_She frowned thoughtfully.

Memories. That word had simply flashed through her mind and that was it. The medley of memories harvested over the years was overwhelming. Happy, depressing ones; angry, jealous ones. Yes, that was it. She had reminisced about the past, her favourite times with her best sister…She remembered so fondly of the endearing moments with her fiancé. She thought of the times with that big, wonderful family full of warmth and laughter, and alas, the unforgettable quibbles. And, nevertheless, she recalled the _tragedy_. She recalled her, in her last moments still as caring and warm as ever, still putting everyone's' interest ahead of her own, pleading with her to be strong, to forget her, to live a happy life. _How could she possible leave her?_

She swallowed deeply, holding back the tears that had accumulated over the years.

"My dear Nurse Kiriyu, I never knew you had that streak of _vainness_ in you…Tsk, tsk…I reckon it's your turn to do the rounds, huh?" Her fellow colleague commented jokingly, pointing to the setting sun dramatically.

She hastily swept off the little tear emanating from her onyx eyes… _No, she had to be strong for them, she promised them…_Most importantly, and she couldn't let her colleagues spot her in such a weak and vulnerable state_, could she_? She was so strong all these years; she always held up an iron-hard, strict exterior… She couldn't possibly let all of her efforts go down the drain at one single attempt, right? Somehow, she couldn't seem to find answers to those queries.

Quickly, she plastered on a fake smile and replied rather coldly, "Of course, well, that's my dirty little secret for you…" With that, she patted her colleague lightly on her shoulder and left to take over her shift.

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"Hey ugly freak, where's your mommy and daddy? Ooh...let me guess, they must have abandoned you! Of course, who would want to keep such a _disgusting, contemptible half-breed_? And an especially hideous one at that."

"You know, you should just end your life, and make life easier for all of us…for having to bear with such a filthy presence!"

"It will definitely do good for both parties... at least we can be rid of that _unsightly _CREATURE!"

Atsuya and his cronies were back _again_. I swear they were made specially to make my life worse than it already was.

I hated them. I hated my parents, who brought me to the earth, but so cruelly left me behind to be taunted, to be beaten up. I hated this world, for being biased. It gave all the wonderful surprises to the children but never to me. I hated being in the hospital, it was the place I had to live with everyday of my life, because the world was harsh, and with Atsuya around, there was every reason for me to remain there. This was simply because, my body couldn't stay perfect for one day without Atsuya looking out for me and putting those scars on my skin.

And he was back again.

I shuddered and cowered at one corner, putting my arms around my knees, and huddled together, as I felt them kicking me viciously, relentlessly. The beatings became stronger, and more ferocious. I could feel stinging pains all over my body, old wounds rekindled, and fresh, sticky blood, gluing my shirt to my body. _I wondered who ignited the fury in him again._

By now, I knew better than to retort back, than to lash back at them like I used to, because my beatings would only be harsher and more severe. I had learnt to wisen up over the last two years.

I struggled to keep my emotions in check, but to no avail. Hot tears splashed down my face as I heard the familiar crack of my ankle. It hung loosely at an odd angle and I couldn't move it anymore. My body was numb, just like my heart. _Numb to this cold, unfeeling world._

"Let it end! LET IT END! I'll do anything……"I screamed at them. I pleaded with them.

"Please…just let me go…"

But they seemed to derive immense pleasure from my physical abuse. Chortling and guffawing at what a cowardly girl I was, they continued.

"I believe, my dear princes, that visiting hours are long over. I am sure you wouldn't want your parents worrying about you, is that right? And I am certainly sure such ungentlemanly behaviour is not tolerated around here."

She had come, at long last. Nurse Kiriyu had finally come.

Atsuya looked at her and back at me, and then pointing his middle finger at me, he gestured for his 'accomplices-in-crime' to back off. While passing, he leant over me and uttered, "Watch out bitch, I'll be looking out for you."

I shivered involuntarily at that comment.

As she bustled around me, and wrapped me in bandages and herbs, I didn't know whether to thank her or to hate her.

"Please…just euthanise me…Take away my sufferings." I broke the uncomfortable silence. (A/N: Euthanasia basically means to put someone to death painlessly.) She looked up pointedly at me.

She was the one who kept me in the hospital. I never knew why and I never learnt why. Nurse Kiriyu was one austere lady, but I could see beyond her eyes, that she had led a life of misery and melancholy, but she never did allow me to see through her.

"Why? Why do you have to keep me in this damned place? Why couldn't you just let me go? WHY DID YOU BRING ME INTO THIS WORLD! I HATE YOU!"

I broke off, sobbing, all of my frustration, my fury, my troubles, my loneliness, unleashed.

"You know, they are right? I should just end my life…I was not born for this world…"

"I am just an ugly…MIXTURE! I am not a human; but I'm not a demon either! I don't belong in this place…"

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I stared at the child who was younger than 10-years. She was so filled with bitterness and hatred… _Was this how Inuyasha felt too? No wonder Kagome was always so protective of him, no matter what he had done. _Was this what the hanyous were subjected to? To such humiliation and bitterness? To such loneliness? For once, the sky seemed so different. For that few moments, my heart went out to her as I saw her crying so hard.

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"Hush, dear, yes, it's all Nurse Kiriyu's fault. But let's compromise alright? I'll tell you a story and you shall never cry after this. Your tears are too precious to be wasted on those bastards."

I looked up at the lady who had always refused to talk to me. All of a sudden, I saw that she was no longer the young, pretty lady she used to be. She seemed to have grown older in such a short while. She had stopped messing with my injuries and sat on the side of my bed, pulling me into an embrace. Her face seemed so earnest, so kind... yet so filled with sadness.

I wiped off my salty tears with the back of my hand and entwined my little pinkie with hers. "Deal."

She smiled gently at me.

"Well, once upon a time, there was a little boy. He was like you, a hanyou, and he had lost his parents to enemies. The only exception was that he had an older half-brother, who was a full demon. But nevertheless, being a half demon, he was always bullied. He had no placing in his own village and was chased off. For many seasons, he had led a lonely, wandering life. With no parents to guide him and no one to love him, he, like you, was very depressed and lost all of his faith for the world. Many a time, he had perhaps wanted to disappear off the face of this earth, but he, I guess, never had the _courage_ to do so.

"But, about a couple of years later, he had met a very beautiful miko, Kikyou. She was the guardian of the Shikon no Tama pearl, and she was the first one he had experienced who did not condemn him for who he was. Sparks of romance ignited between them gradually, because she was the first one who was able to warm his heart and earn his trust.

"Alas, the heavens did not favour him. Naraku, who was born out of a spider hanyou, had fancied Kikyou too, and hungered for the Shikon pearl. As you know, being the guardian of the Shikon pearl, Kikyou's heart had to be very pure. At that time, he longed to own the pearl too, so that he could be a full-fledged demon, and would no longer be despised by the world. But Kikyou had managed to persuade him to give up his troubles to spend the rest of his life with her as a human.

"Unfortunately for the star-crossed lovers, Naraku's dirty little trick caused Kikyou to believe that he was unwilling to leave with her and still hungered to be a demon. She thought that he had lied to her and was only using her as a bait to get the object of his desire; hence, she shot him to the Goshinboku Tree with her arrow. She died shortly after and begged her sister, Kaede to cremate her with the Shikon pearl, hoping that it would end their entire feud.

"But that was not all. 500 years he had been in a deep magical slumber. 500 years later, he woke up to the reincarnation of Kikyou, Kagome. And he was not let off. All of these years, his trust in mankind wavered, and Kikyou's betrayal made him immune to the kindness and light of the world. That was until Kagome came. Once again, the Shikon pearl made its appearance and was accidentally shattered by Kagome's arrow when it was stolen by a demon bird youkai.

"Thus began the legendary pursuit for the shards of the Shikon no Tama accompanied by the miko, Kagome, a demon exterminator, a walking Kazaana, and of course Inuyasha. They set out to recover the shards, and to fulfill his heart's desire; to become a youkai."

"Smart guy, he knows what's worth fighting for, anyway, what happened in the end? Was he actually able to transform into a youkai? Did it really work?" she asked her eyes glinting with hope, her face brightening up.

"Shush, listen patiently for the ending." Nurse Kiriyu reprimanded the impatient hanyou in front of her.

Slumping back down on the bed, she knew it was impossible to hurry Nurse Kiriyu, she did things at her own pace (which she could not help but comment that it was unbelievably _slow_), the only thing she could do was, sit down, and listen quietly.

"They all had different pasts, and joined the search for personal reasons. The demon exterminator…" She seemed to pause momentarily, trapped in her own reverie. I nudged her gently and said, "What about her?"

"She…wanted revenge against naraku for killing her family, and controlling her younger brother as one of his minions…"

Once again, she paused, and I could faintly spot a little tear welling up in her eyes.

"The walking Kazaana, wanted to kill Naraku for cursing him, with the Kazaana, and had planned to personally suck him in. While, Kagome… was just Kagome, she had a pure soul, and wanted to kill Naraku, just because he was evil, she had no ulterior motive, she was so… innocent? No. she was just so… righteous, kind and gentle, but that couldn't be said when she was angry at _Inuyasha_. "

Puzzled, I looked at her, demanding an explanation. Chuckling to herself, Nurse Kiriyu said with a hint of laughter in her voice.

"You know whenever Kagome got mad, Miroku and the demon slayer would bet how many seconds before the famous 'osuwari' came, followed by _the_ 'thump'. It was hilarious, and of course, the demon slayer always won, knowing Kagome too. Well, poor Miroku, he had to keep his hands to himself for a week."

Once again, I looked at her quizzically, and she explained, a wide-spread grin appearing on her radiant cheeks.

"Well, Miroku was _not_ quite a priest. He was more of a hentai and couldn't possibly keep his accursed hands to himself. He would always, you know, take advantage of the poor, unfortunate women he met on the way, and end it with a famous 'fingerprint' across his cheeks."

I laughed. Sobering up, Nurse Kiriyu turned serious again, and continued her story.

"So, along the way, Inuyasha battled alongside his comrades, against the detestable spider hanyou Naraku, who stole the Shikon no Tama shards from Kagome, coupled with a few unfortunate meetings with his brother Sesshoumaru, who dragged around an entourage of a demon and a small girl, Rin."

Nurse Kiriyu smiled a small wry smile, as she reminisced about their close brushes with death, their hilarious adventures, back then they were always cheating death, always staying afloat by sheer determination, and trust in their own values, their own problems to struggle with, and…_love_.

Taking a deep breath, she continued.

"But somehow, something changed, in their mission. Kagome fell in love with Inuyasha, and she was able to accept him for he was, a hanyou, just plain simple Inuyasha."

"Yes, and it was she, that made Inuyasha realized that his lifelong dream, to become a youkai was not all that important anymore. She taught him to detach himself from his haunted past, and not become someone feared by all, and he finally figured out that he didn't really want power to destroy. Because the power of a youkai would cause him to lose the compassionate part of his soul, as demons have no heart, they are ruthless. That in itself, would be reason enough for him to lose his friends and the warmth he had built up all these years, and above all, Kagome…whom he had learnt to love."

"So he finally got it into his thick head, and figured that it was okay to leave the scars in your past, as long as you could move on ahead, and that the girl standing in front of him, offering him her love, was what he wanted and _needed_. Back then, I seriously wanted to hit him with my Hiraikotsu. He was even denser than Miroku, who could never figure out that I did not want him groping me, no matter how many times I hit him."

"So…you were the demon slayer?" She asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "The unfortunate one?"

She smiled lovingly at me and nodded.

Once again she paused, her eyes held a far away look, as if she was seeing all the memories flash past in front of her very eyes, and her age inching away from her, as though peeling off a second skin, and for a moment, I saw the hot-headed beauty she was before, her confident smile flash out, as she used to toss the hiraikotsu; her pain as her family died in front of her very eyes; and the agony and helplessness she had to face seeing her brother being controlled and used as a mindless tool by Naraku, and finally her tears and acceptance of the ending I had yet to know.

I winced, and for once, thought that I wasn't so unfortunate after all.

"For a moment, yes, Inuyasha wanted to forsake the search for the Shikon no Tama, but Naraku was gathering his minions around him, and becoming stronger day by day, corrupting the purity of the Shikon no Tama."

"He knew the battle was unavoidable and…imminent."

"What happened? Where are all of your friends? Where is Kagome? Did they have a happy ending? Are they on their honeymoon? Naraku _is_ destroyed, right? Introduce them to me!"

She turned her back on me. I realized that her voice had begun to waver and lose its crystal tone. "They are gone…"

"Where?" I urged on.

"To the netherworld."

"Wh-"

"I could clearly remember that day…Inuyasha had caught the scent of Naraku, and we pursued him.

_Kaze no Kizu_

But he had underestimated the power of Naraku. He had evolved to something more than just a spider hanyou… He had become so strong and powerful, I knew it was unwise for us to pit our skills against him. But Inuyasha's pride was too large for him to back off. And unfortunately for us all, Naraku played on this particular weakness of his. His Kaze no Kizu was reflected immediately by a thick force shield and while he had managed to dodge it, Kagome wasn't so lucky.

It cut a deep gash across her stomach, and she was bleeding heavily. Immediately Naraku's army had surrounded us. The Saimyosho (poisonous bees) was there too, and Miroku could not use his Kazaana. I was worried for him. But Kohaku was there too, and I tried to fight against Kagura, who was instigating him to kill Shippou with his swinging axe. Inuyasha was still busy fighting with Naraku. Kagome, poor Kagome was bleeding badly and she collapsed, weak and tired.

_Kongō-Bakuryūha_

Inuyasha had taken his opportunity, sensing that Naraku was distracted by the scent of Sesshoumaru. And…what happened next was unexpected.

Inuyasha's blow was reflected with a huge dragon sabre of Naraku's, and in his shock, he stood rooted to the ground and his move hit him. Hard. It slashed him near his heart, on his chest, and his shoulders. Blood came out in torrents, profusely, endlessly and scars on him were turning a dirty livid white. He groaned and cursed.

"Inuyasha!" That was all we heard. Kagome's calls of help, and of hope. I could not help them, for Kagura was using Kohaku as a shield from my Hiraikotsu, and Miroku, in his desperation, used his Kazaana, attracting a whole swarm of poisonous bees and demons into that black-hole.

"Houshi!" I called but he did not reply. His face was a faint shade of white and blood started trickling down his nose. In my faint consciousness, I saw Kagome crawling ever so slowly towards Inuyasha and cradled him in his arms… I couldn't understand why. Miroku was slumped over my body, and I tried to pat him on the back lightly, I tried to nudge him, I tried to kick him…I really tried my utmost effort to call for him; to help him; to wake him up. He could not sleep! But, my efforts were all fruitless in the end. He had left me behind so painfully. He promised me…He promised that we would settle down and retire from the pugilistic world. He broke his promise…"

I stared at the demon-slayer who used to hold up such a strict exterior. All of her armour, all of the aloofness fell apart, and she sobbed uncontrollably. For the first time ever, she seemed to be so weak and so pitiful. She seemed so overwhelmed with guilt and she could not forgive herself, could not let go of the things.

"And I realized, then that even while dying, he protected me and that he had lied down on me on purpose, to cover my living scent with his, so that Naraku and Kagura would forget about me, and mistake me as being dead... I couldn't even say goodbye to him, I couldn't even do anything for him. And for once, I really wished he was still the hentai he was, but it was all gone…He was gone.

"I looked to Kagome for help. But she was no better than me. She never did cry, but was doing her best to treat Inuyasha's injuries. Naraku was busy with Sesshoumaru and his entourage. I could still remember her asking Inuyasha to hang on, to wait for her, to tell him that everything was alright now, to ask him to let go, let go of all that burden. But he had weakly replied, "Don't."

Kagome looked up at once. "Don't do this for me. I'm unworthy for your love. I'm just a hanyou."

She looked at him endearingly, and said, "And that is what I loved you for. For being yourself, for being so responsible. And for overcoming all those years when you were a hanyou. You are very strong. I love you for that."

She smiled at him. "But…I…"

"Shush, Inuyasha, I loved you because of your innocent heart. All of these years, you have suffered so much, it's time to let go. You know, in life, we always give some and take some. I don't despise you just because you are a hanyou; I love you for your caring and responsible heart, for yourself. I will always be with you. And I will never give you up."

"…"

And she did. She held his hands tightly and placed his tired body on her lap. "It's time to let go, Inuyasha…"

"Can I really?" She stared into his golden orbs and nodded.

"I couldn't bear to look anymore. Inuyasha had left us, alone. But Kagome was worst. Her pale face turned ghastly, and suddenly, she slumped over and I covered my hands over my mouth as I screamed."

Her face fell.

"An arrow was pierced into her back, and her school uniform was tainted a deep shade of crimson. Even while she was dying, she couldn't bear for Inuyasha to worry for her. She smiled at me and told me silently to be strong, and perhaps someday, we would meet again.

"And she left the gates of the Earth, my sister; she had left me alone…"

"And I could not even do a thing for them. Shippou was gone too, his soul sucked in by Kanna, and the big family, was dispersed. Sesshoumaru killed Naraku, but failed to bring my, my _family_ back to life."

She couldn't continue anymore, she couldn't bear it anymore, and I watched her cry out so miserably for the people she had come to love, come to care for, all gone in a single battle. Nurse Kiriyu had suffered all these years.

"I couldn't help them…I couldn't help them at all…"

I patted her bag and tried consoling her, but to no avail. "Is that why you became a nurse? To overcome your guilt, and helplessness?"

She nodded. After a few moments, she stopped wailing. She stared at me in the eye, and continued.

"That is why I have never given up on you, Yuki. Because you are a special child. I don't really care if you are a hanyou or not. What I want you to know is that the world has not forsaken you, I have not forsaken you, and I never will. If Inuyasha can live it, so can you. I want you to know that you are special for who you are, and that is not determined by your race, blood or your physical attributes. It is determined by the kind of person you want to be. Kagome has taught me a very valuable lesson, a lesson everybody should learn. So give up your hatred, be strong…"

I looked up into her tearing eyes that shone with sincerity. "Can I really?"

She nodded profusely and pulled me into an embrace.

Outside the sky, though dark and frightening, was illuminated by the full moon. It was the most beautiful night ever.

_And I will never see the sky the same way_

_And I will learn to say good-bye to yesterday_

_And I will never cease to fly if held down_

_And I will always reach too high_

'_Cause I've seen, 'cause I've seen_

_Twilight_


End file.
